


Getting Together

by FeralCreed



Series: Losers Bingo 2019/2020 [1]
Category: The Losers (2010), The Losers (Comic)
Genre: Boys In Love, Idiots in Love, Losers bingo, M/M, just admit you like each other already god, no beta we die like men, the whole team probably knows it already, there's probably a betting pool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22823215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreed/pseuds/FeralCreed
Summary: Cougar and Jensen go on a date before admitting they had feelings for each other, and then come the awkward unintended love confession. That's it, that's the fic. Written for 2019/2020 Losers Bingo.
Relationships: Carlos "Cougar" Alvarez/Jake Jensen
Series: Losers Bingo 2019/2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640743
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57
Collections: Losers Bingo 2019/20





	Getting Together

Cougar's relieved to be home. Not that anyone is waiting for him, but his apartment is dark and cool, the total opposite of where they'd just been on a mission. One where he made a hard call that he doesn't want to think about any more. Instead he's going to take a shower and fall asleep. Jensen will be texting him soon, and as much as Cougar likes him, dealing with his energy always takes a level of patience that he doesn't think he can muster right now. Sometimes he still needs time to himself even though he's quietly been in love with his teammate for years. 

He wishes that Jensen could be here with him, though. Here to run those long fingers through his hair and curl that warm body around him. Being with Jensen makes him feel safe, even in a world where he sometimes thinks that nowhere truly is. With everything he's seen, it's hard for him to hold onto any kind of optimism. Yet somehow Jensen manages to keep seeing the best in people. No matter how many times he's beaten down, he pops right back up with his crooked grin and crooked glasses to see if the next time will be any different. Cougar admires him for it. 

That doesn't mean that he answers the phone when he hears the tell-tale buzz of a text message. Not that time and not the next four. He doesn't know why Jensen can't just send him one and wait for him to answer, but at this point, it's not going to change. Cougar's learned not to check unless there's at least seven. Seven is emergency, ten is someone dying. Four is simply boredom. Actually, four might actually be the most dangerous of all. The last time Jensen was bored, he ended up shooting Clay in the leg with a bottle rocket. One he'd made himself, out of a two liter Coke bottle he'd recently finished drinking and a few handfuls of loose gunpowder that nobody could figure out the origins of. Except Cougar, who had slipped him the sulfur so he could make it himself. 

Somehow Clay still thinks that Cougar is responsible and makes Jensen tone down his crazy ideas. Truth is, Jensen isn't responsible for about a quarter of the things he's blamed for, but nobody ever believes that Cougar gets up to anything like that. The benefits of being the quiet one. Jensen is just fine with taking all the credit for Cougar's mischief, though, so it works out in the end. Although he's pretty sure that Pooch has caught on. The man knows about far more than just cars and has a sharp eye for detail. They should probably try to get him to help in the next Losers prank war that gets started. 

But that's an idea for another time. Cougar checks his phone, to make sure it had been Jensen texting him instead of someone else, and leaves it in the bathroom so it won't wake him up in the morning when Jensen turns excitable again. It's like being friends with a big Golden Retriever. It's only fun as long as you can handle the relentless energy, cheerfulness, and disregard for personal space or quiet. Strangely, it's never bothered him that much. He's always been on the silent side, prone to drawing into himself when something happens, but he can count on one hand the number of times he hasn't wanted to be around Jensen. They're opposites in most ways but somehow they manage to work together. 

When he wakes up in the morning, he feels a lot better. He also has a craving for shrimp paella. There's a million takeout fliers in his kitchen, and he can think of at least three that could make him what he wants, but he's hungry and doesn't want to wait for delivery. Coffee and whatever he has in the pantry instead. Paella can be for lunch. Jensen will still want to hang out, if he hasn't buried himself in a million lines of code yet, so they can go together. Just because Cougar's quiet doesn't mean that he doesn't value spending time with his teammates. Especially Jensen. Besides, he's not going to spend all his free time inside. He likes being out in the city. And the idea of a movie night with Jensen sounds appealing, and not just because Jensen agrees to any drinking games that Cougar comes up with. Those usually end in Jensen raging over the realism of any and every movie that features technology, and even though he's genuinely annoyed about some of it, Cougar can't help but find it endearing. 

At the moment, however, he just wants to relax with his cup of coffee. His apartment is in a quiet part of town and sometimes it's worth it to just enjoy the silence. It'll certainly be in short supply once he's around any of the Losers. He wanders over to the sliding glass doors leading to his balcony and looks down at the street. There's still some fog curling among the buildings but it won't last more than an hour. The sound of toast popping up out of the toaster startles him out of his thoughts a few moments later. After checking to make sure he didn't spill his coffee, he sets his cup down on the kitchen counter and sets about feeding himself. He doesn't have much besides bread, peanut butter, and some canned goods. Things that would keep while he was gone. 

It's better than nothing, by a long shot. And on the bright side, there's not a lot of cleanup to do like there would be if he'd cooked an entire meal. He leaves the dishes drip drying on the counter. A little water never hurt anything. Besides, he's sure that he has plenty of text messages waiting. Most of them are from Jensen, like he anticipated, but there's also three from Pooch and one each from Roque and Clay. Apparently Jensen was bored enough that he started texting everybody on the team. Cougar can only imagine the threat that he got from Roque for that. The man really does have too many knives. 

_Meet me for lunch at 12:30? I know a place._ One of the nice things about Jensen is that he's always ready to get something to eat. All he has to hear is the slightest allegation that someone's hungry and he's ready to volunteer to go out and get food with them. He's introduced Cougar to some amazing places, too. He intends to return the favor this time around. Jensen has never been to this one – it's the kind of hole in the wall that people only find by accident and Cougar's always kept it a secret. He's willing to share it with Jensen, though. He's willing to share anything with Jensen. 

Of course, it isn't long before Jensen answers him. Very enthusiastically. Cougar rolls his eyes at the steady stream of texts and just sends him the address of the restaurant. He's very familiar with the way Jensen works and there's undoubtedly nothing of importance in those messages. He'll read them later, of course, because he can't help but scroll back and smile at all the ridiculous things Jensen sends him, but right now he wants to pay more attention to getting dressed. 

He picks out the nicer green button-down shirt he has and a pair of black jeans that aren't ripped like most of the other ones. Nombre de dios, he's acting like he's going on a date! It's just Jensen! He shouldn't be this worried about looking nice. They've seen each other dirty and bloody and tired and sick, he isn't going to damage his image if he shows up in old clothes. He'll be lucky if Jensen shows up in something that would look out of place on a rebellious teenager... But somehow that manages to be part of the man's charm more often than not. Cougar has no idea how he does it. 

He is ready to leave at noon, though. He'd spent the morning reading through a dime store novella and unfortunately it wasn't as exciting as he hoped it would be. At least he's had his lunch with Jensen to look forward to. Though he doesn't realize until he's already in the hallway that he chose a shirt that matches the bandanna on his new hat that matches his fanciest pair of boots. His next door neighbor smirks at him when she runs into him in the elevator so it must not be coincidence like he thought it was a moment ago. It's nearly enough to make him go back and change because Jensen will surely notice as well. He'd be late, though, and he doesn't want that, so he just decides to deal with it. Jensen couldn't possibly think that this is a date. 

_Shit, this is totally a date,_ he thinks as he waits outside the restaurant. Because that's when Jensen shows up in a tee and jeans that look brand new, and Cougar can't remember the last time he's seen the other man dressed like that. They stare at each other for a moment before Jensen gives him a bright smile. And somehow, suddenly, Cougar is no longer embarrassed by clothes or assumptions. 

“Hola,” Jensen says, the cheeky bastard, and pushes his glasses up his nose. Cougar can't help but smile back at him. 

He doesn't say anything, though. Instead he just tilts his head toward the door to silently ask if Jensen wants to go inside. It's easier to talk when it's with one person, especially when it's Jensen, but he'll never be a chatterbox. That's Jensen's forte and Cougar has yet to get tired of the sound of his voice rambling on about the most mundane subjects. Jensen's already talking as they enter the restaurant, about the history of neon signs, and how they need special transformers, and why the electricity running through them makes them buzz. Cougar won't remember any of it for more than a few hours, but it's interesting in the moment, and it would really only be unnerving if Jensen were quiet for any length of time. He talks even when he's coding – or sleeping, sometimes! 

Cougar barely even notices when the waitress comes to take their order. Jensen's monologuing on neon lights turns into a dissertation on electricity while they're waiting for their appetizer. And that turns into what can only be called a love letter to computers while they're actually eating. It's a lot of information, and Jensen speaks in technical terms that Cougar doesn't always understand, but he can't help but find it more endearing than it has any right to be. How can he be speaking nonsense more often than not, yet still be the only thing in the room worth looking at? It's unfathomable to say the least. 

He pays, since he invited Jensen, and then they stand outside the restaurant as Jensen stretches and almost knocks his glasses off his face. For a moment, he almost wishes that he suggested they went to dinner. That way he could invite Jensen back to his apartment for a couple drinks and maybe a movie. They're by each others' sides in the field and it feels so foreign and alien to not have Jensen within arm's reach at all times. When they're on the other side of the world, risking their lives, it makes him feel so much safer to know that Jensen is there, right under his fingertips, warm and smiling. And knowing that he'll be there if anyone ever tries to hurt the best thing to ever happen to him. 

He just wishes he could find some way to let Jensen know. 

“Well, I guess I'll be heading home,” Jensen mentions. “Although... There's supposed to be some kind of music festival in a park not far from here? We could go check it out? You know me, I like all kinds of music.” 

Cougar tries to deny the way his heart jumps at the suggestion. He would go to anything if it meant spending more time with Jensen. Something about the other man just draws him in, like a planet in orbit around the sun. He wants to spend more time with Jensen even when he doesn't need to be there to protect him in the field. If he opens his mouth to say anything, he thinks he'll just spill out _'I love you, let me stay with you forever'_. Instead he stays quiet and gives Jensen a little smile and a nod. 

The music festival is interesting. He can't remember the last time he went to an outdoor concert like this. He also doesn't think that he's ever been out with Jensen like this. Just the two of them, quiet, wandering around side by side to find things they enjoy. Cougar reaches out, his fingers brushing across Jensen's hip, and tilts his head to the side. It's more than a little gratifying to see the way that Jensen immediately turns to him and follows him to a bench not far from a little pond. Lily pads scatter the surface and there are a few ducks paddling among the greenery. 

Cougar sits down and leans back against the bench, putting his arms along the back and closing his eyes as he tilts his face up. The sun is at an angle that casts its rays over most his face despite his hat. It's pleasant. He hears the bench creak slightly as Jensen sits down next to him and the two sit quietly for a moment. He can't help but wonder how long it will take before Jensen starts squirming and thinking about getting in trouble. 

His thoughts are interrupted by a surprisingly gentle touch to the brim of his hat. He opens his eyes and blinks. What? Jensen slowly withdraws his hand, an expression on his face that Cougar can't quite decipher. It's something soft and private. He's close to asking why when Jensen speaks first. 

“I just thought... you looked so peaceful. I wanted to see your face a little more. I'm sorry, I know, it's weird, I'm weird, but you always seem to be okay with that. You always look at me like I'm normal. Almost always. I can't blame you for what you said over that Sprite thing. That was deserved and I'm still kind of surprised that you stopped Roque from trying to stab me. But I guess you like me.” 

“Very much,” Cougar murmurs quietly, before Jensen can ramble on even more. He gives Jensen a little smile and then closes his eyes again. 

They actually manage to sit there for several hours. Jensen pulls out his phone after about three minutes, which doesn't surprise him at all, but apart from that, it's quiet and peaceful. He thinks he could get used to this. Eventually he sits forward to look at the ducks for a moment before turning his head to look at Jensen. 

“Let's go get dinner and drinks,” he suggests. _I don't want to lose this time I have with you,_ he thinks. 

Jensen smiles. 

They walk through the park, slowly, and Cougar lets Jensen's constant rambling wash over him and become familiar, comforting background noise. It wasn't always this nice. There were times that his patience was proven to be far from infinite. But for the most part, unlike their teammates, he wasn't bothered by Jensen's chatter. Sometimes it was even peaceful. He remembers what happened after they came back from Andorra. The memory brings a slight smile to his lips. 

“Whatcha looking at, Cougs? See a pretty girl?” Jensen teases him. 

“No. I thought about when I slept after Andorra.” He's fascinated to see the way a blush immediately spreads across Jensen's face. “Remember?” 

“Of course I do,” Jensen replies. “I was rambling on and on about something so stupid, and I looked over, and you were asleep, and I felt so guilty. I thought you were just being polite by staying there so long and that I'd bored you to sleep. And then Clay came in to ask me something and he was so surprised. And I asked him what about, and he said he hadn't seen you sleep for more than two hours at a time in fifty-seven days.” 

“With you, I slept for eight,” Cougar murmurs. How could he have missed that? How could he have only felt safe enough to sleep when he was at Jensen's side, close enough to see the shadows his lashes cast on his cheeks from the light of the computer screen, and not realized what he was feeling? Normally he's so astute, but it seems as though that doesn't extend to his own feelings. Well, Jensen has always had a way of knocking him off balance. This should probably be no surprise. 

It's also no surprise that there's a pang of grief somewhere deep behind his stomach. His beloved is well known for his utter lack of filter. If he loved Cougar – if he _could_ love Cougar, with the blood on his hands and the wounds on his soul – he would have said something long ago. He never does anything in half measures. It's one of his most endearing qualities, and Cougar never expected it to bring him pain. He doesn't say that, though. He just smiles a little and asks where Jensen wants to eat. 

At first, it's a nice place. Small, quiet, and they get a table in the corner. Neither of them like having their back to a room. He can manage it, sometimes, when Jensen's with him, because Jensen is observant and would never let anything harm him. But they've had a wonderful afternoon together and he can't bring himself to do anything that might give it a sour ending. 

Except it looks like that's exactly what will happen. There's a woman sitting a few tables away, by herself. She's been giving Jensen surreptitious looks for the past hour like she wants nothing more than to come over and straddle his thighs and kiss him. Cougar knows the feeling well, but that doesn't mean she has to be so damn _obvious_ about it. He doesn't think that Jensen has noticed, but then there's fingertips drawing lightly across the back of his hand. 

“You know, if you want to go hook up with someone, I'm not gonna be mad.” 

Cougar's brain stutters to a halt. What? Has Jensen been thinking that-? He snorts under his breath and nearly rolls his eyes at Jensen's surprised look. “She's looking at you. Five times since we got here. I should be telling you to go hook up with her. You could get a house with a picket fence.” 

Jensen gives a chuckle that Cougar immediately recognizes as fake and withdraws his hand to put them both in his lap. If Cougar didn't know better, he'd think that the other man somehow manages to physically shrink. Sure, it was rare for him to try to joke, but he couldn't think of any way that his teasing might be taken as offensive. Jensen is the most handsome man he's ever seen. It's a miracle that he hasn't been married already, despite his horrible fashion choices and general inability to talk to people. 

“Aw, c'mon, Cougar, you know she's probably been looking at you instead. Name one time you've gone to a bar alone and not had four or five women trying to hang off you.” 

“So she'd be over here already if she wanted me. Why not say hello?” 

“Because, well. People don't love people like me,” Jensen says with a self-deprecating shrug and a tight smile. 

“I do,” Cougar replies without thinking, because he can't stand the look on Jensen's face or the defeat in his posture. 

“What?” Jensen asks. His eyes are wide, his fingers tight around his beer, and Cougar panics. 

“What?” he replies. 

“Don't give me that, I heard what you just said. You love me? You _love_ me?” Jensen demands, incredulous. 

“Lo siento,” Cougar whispers, trying to hide the tremor in his voice. 

“No, Cougs, oh god no, that's not what I meant, I didn't mean it like that, like I didn't want you, I just, it's a surprise, you know, because you're, well, you, and I'm, you know, me, and I just don't really-” 

Cougar can't listen to any more of Jensen trying to stumble his way through saying _I don't want you_ so he gets up and leaves. The air outside is cooler and he pauses to take a deep breath, wondering which way his apartment is from here. The door slams open behind him and he flinches, knowing that it has to be Jensen. There's hands on his shoulders, spinning him around, and he barely has time to meet Jensen's gaze before Jensen's kissing him. 

_Oh._

All the tension leaves him at once, and he puts his arms around Jensen's waist to pull him closer. The familiar scent of the other man's cologne surrounds him, and there's a warm hand on the side of his neck, and the rest of the world fades away as the two of them kiss on what used to be a busy sidewalk outside a sports bar. When Jensen finally leans back, Cougar sways toward him without even thinking about it. He wants to feel those lips on his again. He wants to run his fingers through Jensen's hair and lay under Jensen's body and treasure Jensen's heart for the rest of his life. 

“Let's go pay the check,” Jensen whispers. Cougar dearly wants to ask why he could possibly bring that up at a time like this. “And then I want to go back to your apartment. And I don't want to leave for at least four days.” 

“How about a week?” he manages to ask, and the sound of Jensen's laugh has never been more precious. 

He goes back inside while Jensen calls an Uber, hastily scribbles his name at the bottom of the check and gives a rushed, stilted apology for almost walking out on the bill. The hostess is professional enough not to laugh while he's there, but he hears giggling from one of the waitresses as he leaves. He guesses that he and Jensen were more obvious than either of them realized. Fortunately the Uber is already waiting when he steps outside. He wonders, for a moment, how Jensen knows his address, but decides that that's not the most important thing to think about right now. Not when Jensen's looking at him like that. 

They don't make it past the kitchen.


End file.
